Author: admin

When it was snowing in December, I was excited.  Today, it felt like the joke was on me.  

“You were expecting a little warm up? Heh, heh…”

Once again, getting out the camera made the snow look better to me.  

And, it was gone within an hour. 

Here is what I learned about photographing snow this year: the longer the lens the better.  I’m borrowing a 70-200 lens and these photos were taken at 200mm.  (It’s about compression.)  I hope I don’t have another chance to practice it for awhile…

I was recently invited to be part of a blog circle with some wonderful photographers.  Our theme is “For the Love.”  After looking at my post, be sure to go on to Veronica Armstrong’s post and then around the full circle. 

This month, I’m focusing on what my kids are in love with these days.  And in turn, how their loves shape my days.

Augusta ~ almost 2

See that little purple box in her hands?  She calls it her “Dee Doh” box.  It’s an mp3 player for babies.  Nine years back when my oldest was a baby, I wouldn’t have imagined buying an mp3 player for my one year old.  First, I would have had no idea what an mp3 player was in the first place.  Once I found out it was technology I would have said, “No, thanks.  We’ll sing together.”  

This year at Christmas, when thinking about what this little girl loved, I thought: music and dancing (often on the kitchen counter). She was always chasing my ipod so she could listen to her favorite song, Dynamite by Taio Cruz – aka – Dee Doh.  I saw this player on Amazon and knew it was a home run.  (I was right.)

Atticus ~ almost 5

My boy is fascinated by contruction and demolition.  As luck would have it, a school nearby is being demolished.  We saw it on while driving Trader Joe’s and stopped on our way home to watch.  It was cold and windy.  I stood on one side of Atticus, and had Augusta bundled in a stroller on the other side.  We watched for a half an hour.  I felt like a super hero mom: blocking the wind and letting him watch the cinder blocks crash down.  He came home and did some work of his own.  (It was much colder than the photo makes it look.)

Avery ~ 7

This girl is loves a good book.  Right now her favorites are the Magic Tree House series.  She reads voraciously so she is always up for a trip to our beloved library.  We share this love.  When she asks to go to the library, I feel like Brer Rabbit, “Don’t throw me in the briar patch!”

(Avery is reading Augusta’s long favorite book,  Moo, Baa, LA LA LA to her.)

Savanna ~ 10

March is Irish dance month around here.  It’s busy.  This past weekend was full of performances around town.  Sunday morning, we were at Claddaugh, an Irish pub on the South Side of Pittsburgh.Sunday evening, she was in full costume at the 20th Century Club in Oakland.

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Now, follow the circle to Veronica Armstrong’s blog and her post For the Love of.

This is a part of the poem, Song for a Fifth Child by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton.

One of my mother’s friends made this for my mom when she was pregnant with her fifth child, my sister, Maureen. 

It is framed and hung to the right of the front door at my parents’ house. I always loved the embroidery and it certainly sounded true.  What I didn’t know before I had children of my own is how hard it is to quiet the cobwebs and let the dust sleep.

I need to make it clear that I do not have an exceptionally clean or neat house.  We joke about the monster that eats socks while we rifle through the pile of clothes on the floor trying to find two that are the same size.  (Color is a bonus.)  I asked a friend who stopped over recently if she was shocked by the mess.  She said lovingly, “I’ve been here before.”  

I still hear the cobwebs scolding me and the dusty mantle taunting me while I sit on the couch playing This Little Piggy with Augusta.  

Shhhhhh…

Tonight, when he started to button his own jammies, I went downstairs for my camera.  I knew he’d still be working on the buttons when I got back upstairs.  He was calm and determined.  It’s something I do without thinking – buttoning up a shirt.  It takes patience when you are four years old.

f/1.8 ~ 1/200 sec ~ ISO 200 ~ 50mm ~ Canon 5DI have been away from Familiar Light for over two weeks.  In that time we have celebrated two birthdays and an anniversary.  An unexpected benefit of doing this Pogo Project is that it helps me see what knocks me off balance.  So far, it looks Christmas and birthdays.  Hmmmm.

But, I didn’t put my camera down in that time so I have lots in the bank to share every day. 

More tomorrow…

Thanks to readers who checked in with me while I was off my pogo stick. So nice to hear from you.

f2.5: 1/320: ISO 400: 50mm: Canon 5D

The big girls had the day off from school today.  We headed to the library.  They are reading a Sandra Boynton book – Little Pookie.

I didn’t even consider leaving my camera at home.  The library we were heading to has beautiful big windows and I knew the light would be lovely.  

And yesterday, Valentine’s Day, I took off from my post-every-weekday Pogo Project.  But, I took lots of photos of my lovely niece who is three months old already.

Awhile back, I wrote about my fears about going into business.  Just getting them out in the open helped them become less scary.

Today, I did something I’ve been meaning to do for months.  Make a Facebook page for my business.  No big deal right? 

I wanted to have all my ducks in a row before I did it.  Lovely website including a perfect portfolio, all the right contact info, session info, pricing…  You get the idea.

I don’t have my business website set up yet.  I did get an email.  I don’t have a bunch of photos at the ready for people to look at.  It goes on and on for me.  I become paralyzed wondering which thing is most important to do first.  I realized that doing something today was better than perfect someday. (Patton’s Law – A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.)

So, with my ducks scattered around the pond, I put up the page.  Ta-da!